RED and blue top brass joined together to pay tribute to Liverpool’s footballing forefather.

The Rev Ben Swift Chambers was the driving force behind the birth of Everton in 1878. Liverpool came along 14 years later after a row about money.

But despite his crucial role in the creation of two of the world’s greatest football clubs, the grave of Mr Chambers lay undiscovered and unloved for decades.

Amateur historian Peter Lupson eventually discovered his overgrown resting place in a quite corner of a sleepy graveyard near Huddersfield.

And yesterday representatives from both clubs attended a service in Shepley to mark the rededication of Mr Chambers’s grave.

Former Everton striker Graeme Sharp said: “When you look at the history of both clubs and how they started, he was so influential.

“This is an ideal opportunity for us to get together and remember that.

“The relationship between the fans has deteriorated to an extent, but if we can show them there’s a unity going back all those years, maybe we can restore some of that.”

Former Reds midfield ace, and now club official, Brian Hall added: “It has reminded me of the wonderful rapport between Everton and Liverpool fans over so many years.”

The memorial ceremony at Shepley Methodist Church was exactly 131 years since Mr Chambers became minister at St Domingo Methodist Chapel in Everton.

A keen believer that sport could teach young men important values, he started a cricket team, but advised the players to play football during the winter.

St Domingo Football Club was formed, later to be named Everton FC.

Everton chaplain Henry Corbett said: “Why did he found the football clubs? If he were alive today, he would say because of love and compassion.

“He saw that people could be helped by sport.”

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said: “Through cricket and football Ben Chambers showed his commitment to getting young boys off the street. He did not see football and faith as incongruous, but rather as complementary.”

Mr Lupson, who researched the history of the clubs for his book Thank God for Football, said: “There are so many wonderful points of contact between these two clubs and that’s why I’m so excited about today, because we are bringing it right up to date.”

Mr Chambers’ grave was cleaned and given a new headstone with funding from the two clubs.

The new epitaph reads: “Ben Swift Chambers, who set the ball rolling that led to the birth of Everton and Liverpool football clubs.”

Everton director Sir Philip Carter said: “To honour a gentleman who was so pivotal to the creation of football in our city is entirely appropriate. Ben Chambers was a visionary and everyone with an interest in football in Merseyside owes him a tremendous debt of gratitude.”